Sign



A. P. MEYER Dec. 31, 1957 SIGN Filed June 18, 1954 Arm United States Patent SIGN Alvin P. Meyer, Van Meter, Iowa Application June 18, 1954, Serial No. 437,661

1 Claim. (CI. 40-39) My invention is a sign consisting of a face plate with a moveable element behind the face plate; the face plate having openings in the form of symbols cut in it, and the moveable element coated on at least a portion of its surface adjacent to the face plate with a reflecting material. When light is applied to the face plate of the sign, and the moveable element is moved by any suitable source of power; very striking effects are created. As a summary to this very brief description of my invention, the objects of my invention are to provide a sign that:

(1) Is attention arresting and holding.

(2) Is animated although employing a minimum of moving parts.

(3) Can be powered in a variety of ways.

(4) Is inexpensive to operate.

(5) Is, considering the effects produced, inexpensive to construct.

(6) Requires almost no maintenance.

While the above listed objects are the principal ones of my invention, it is my intention to include as objects of my invention any such as may be apparent to one skilled in the art after he has read this specification, including the claim, and examined the accompanying drawings which are briefly described as follows:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of my sign.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of my sign taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 with portions of the stand and spacer braces eliminated to conserve space and show construction of the device more clearly respectively.

Fig. 3 is a reduced fragmentary front elevational view of a modified form of my sign in which broken lines illustrate hidden parts.

Referring to the drawings in which a given reference number always designates identical parts, I have used the number 10 to designate a moveable sheet element, here illustratively shown as rotating suitably journalled on a shaft such as bolt 12 by use of the bearings 14 and 16. The bearings are secured to the sheet member 10 in any suitable manner as by the rivets 18. The shaft 12 ex tends through the sheet face members and 22, which may or may not be identical, and the spacer braces 24 and 26. These face sheet members are held in spaced relation by the spacer braces 24 and 26 which are themselves suitably secured to the face plates by the rivets 28. Legs 30 are secured to the spacer brace 26 in any suitable manner as by the rivets 32. The legs are supported suitably at their lower ends by the base members 34. This entire sign supporting structure including the bases, legs and spacer braces serves merely to hold the sign up-right on surface 36 and is claimed by the word frame since it is not believed novel in itself. It is obvious that the particular form of the support is ilustrative only, as the sign could be held up-right by any suitable structure.

The face sheets of the sign are provided with cut-out portions that may be in the form of symbols conveying any desired message such as the lettering 38. On the the parts are identical or substantially so.

reflecting or moveable element are the reflecting materials 40 and 42. These. reflecting materials contrast with each other and at least one of them with the face plates, either as to color or the manner in which they reflect light or both. In the claim, therefore, when the term contrasting is used, it may be that contrast in color is meant, and again it may be the reference is to the difference in which the two surfaces reflect light. While I have shown the contrasting materials as each covering about half of the moveable element, it is clear that any division of the surface of the moveable element could be used to produce different eflects. Once the principle of using two contrasting reflecting surfaces is taught, the addition of other colors and different shapes of the reflecting surfaces such as swirls, quarters or stripes is understood. A series of wind catching paddles as at 44 are formed around the outside edge of the rotatable sheet element 10. These paddles are turned to react with any breeze in the vicinity of my sign to cause the sign to rotate. The paddles themselves may be coated with reflecting material in contrasting colors as indicated at 46 and 48. Having the paddles thus coated adds to the attention attracting qualities of the sign.

In Fig. 3 the same numbers are used as in the case of the wind driven form shown in Figures 1 and 2 where The paddles 44 are not bent to catch the breeze, however, and instead are used purely as an eye-catching addition to the sign that is rotated by a suitable mechanical force such as the motor 50 through the sheaves 52 and 54 with any suitable belt 54 reeved ovr the pulleys. This form of the sign may be employed when it is desired to have constancy of motion for the moveable sheet element or in locations where there is little chance of sufficient breeze striking the paddles. Since the paddles 44 in Fig. 3 would be aligned with the moveable sheet element 10 instead of being turned as in Figures 1 and 2, there would be adequate clearance for the belt 50.

My sign was conceived for use at a road side; one that would reflect the beams of automobile head lights, but it is obvious that any source of light that will reflect from the contrasting reflecting surfaces 40, 42, 46 and 48 would serve. The colors of materials 40 and 42 should preferably contrast with the color of the face plates in most instances. I have found, however, that some interesting effects can also be created by using reflecting material on only a portion of the moveable element 10 and in having a portion of the element 10 colored to match the color of the face sheet. When this combination is used, the writing substantially disappears at times. In summing up the major inventive thought of my sign, I would say it is the combination of a face member having symbols cut-out of it in the form of openings with a moving element behind the face member. The moving element presents surfaces to the openings at least some of which surfaces are reflecting and contrasting with the surface of the face member.

From the foregoing, I believe it is clear that I have invented a device for attracting and holding the attention of passers-by that will achieve the objects of my invention as set out above. Having thus disclosed my invention both by expressing the general inventive thought and by showing and describing the preferred though not exclusive practical embodiment of it, I now distinctly point out and with particularity what I believe to be my invention.

I claim:

In a sign, a pair of face members; U-shaped braces secured to said face members and securing them together in spaced relation leaving an unobstructed space extending beyond and entirely around the peripheries of said face members; means secured to said U-shaped braces for supporting said face members vertically; a center member supported rotatably by and between said face members; wind paddles secured to said center member and extending into the area beyond and adjacent the peripheries of said face members; portions of each of said face members being cut out; and reflecting material on at least part of each face of said center member and said wind paddles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,445,977 Shephard Feb. 20, 1923 4 Walkner Apr. 5, 1932 O'Brien Sept. 11, 1934 Konig May 5, 1936 Verry Aug. 6, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 6, 1913 France Apr. 29, 1953 

